Speedboat stabilizer



June 1, 1965 G. A. MOORE SPEEDBOAT STABILIZER s Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledApril 1, 1964 INVENTOR 60A 6 141% 670A! MMAE ATTORNEY June 1, 1965 ,e.A. MOORE 3,186,371

SPEEDBOAT S TABILI ZER Filed A ril 1, 1964 s Sheets-Sheet 2 1 NVENTOR.GAORGEAAZ/IVGTO/V Mow ATTORNEY June 1, 1965 G. A. MOORE srmnnon s'mmzm 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 1, 1964 INVENTOR row/700m;

' ATTO RN EY United States Patent 3,186,371 SPEEDEGAT STABELTZER GeorgeArlington Muore, New York, NY. (910 Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Ell.)Filed Apr. 1, 1964, Ser. No. 356,375 12 Claims. (Cl. 114-425) Thisinvention pertains primarily to speedboats which are driven by powerfulinboard or outboard motors, which are capable of accelerating rapidlyand which when operating in rough water have a strong tendency to pound,to the great discomfiture of the passengers or crew.

The bottoms of modern speedboats are normally weighted at the stern byreason of high powered engines usually employed, and when the boat ispropelled through the water at high speed, the bow tends to lift out ofthe water and the stern to pull down somewhat, so that when the boatgoes through waves in rough seas, the bow rises and falls, creating asevere pounding action on the water. This action is particularly markedin light speedboats of from 20 to 30 feet in length, when provided witha heavy, powerful engine near the stern.

High speed not only is desired to move quickly from one landing toanother, but is necessary for towing water skiers and the like,

Gne object of my invention is to greatly reduce the pounding shock andheavy vibration of a speedboat of the character above referred to, whenit is operating at high speeds in rough water.

Another object is to provide a novel and simple apparatus which may beapplied readily, and with small expense, to a boat which has been in usefor several years, as well as to a new boat during the building process,to minimize the stress and strain to which boat hulls are normallysubjected.

A further object is to provide for easy control of the weight at the bowof the boat by filling to a greater or lesser extent a water tank,preferably formed of plastic material, which is adapted to be flexiblyexpanded, anchoring it into the spaces between the ribs of the boat hullat the bow where the tank is located. An inlet scoop is adjustablymounted at the stern near one side of the boat where it will notinterfere with the engine or propeller and is connected, preferably byplastic pipe, to the water tank in the how. The arrangement is such thatwhen the boat is speeding in rough water, the scoop may be set to injectwater through the pipe into the tank, in any weight producing volume asmay be desired.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be readily understoodby those skilled in this art by reference to the accompanying drawingsand the appended specification.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of apparatus incorporating the stabilizing deviceof this invention, a small portion of the stern of the boat being shownin section to illustrate an adequate method of attachment and thefunctional operation of the injector scoop.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 1 in which the scoopis shown in broken lines in the position which it will normally occupywhen it is projecting into the water and injecting water into the tank.A control check valve and its attachments are shown in cross section.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the scoop with its control lever shown inseveral alternative positions.

FIG. 4 is a plan view, shown partially in section, of a speedboatequipped with the apparatus of my invention, particularly illustratingthe control mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of a speedboat hull provided Patented June 1,1965 with the apparatus of FIGS. 1 to 3 and showing the scoop adjustedto its water level position, where it will produce substantially nowater injection but will act as a drain and permit water to exhaust.

FIG. 6 corresponds to FIG. 5 except that the boat is illustrated withits bow out of Water and the stern drawn down into the water as isnormal when such boats are operated at high speed. In FIG. 6 the scoopis shown as adjusted to inject water into the tank at the bow.

FIG. 7 shows the boat with the bow tank filled with water and wellillustrates the stabilizing effect of the weight balancing facilitywhich is produced by the apparatus of this invention. The bow ispractically on the mean water level, and the stern is below this waterlevel with the scoop injector adjusted to project below the bottom ofthe boat in position to receive water rapidly in volume as the boatmoves forward.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings comprises atank It preferably formed of plastic material such as a polyethylenefabric or other suitable plastic material and shaped substantially asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, to fit generally into the bow limits of anordinary speedboat, which may for example have a length of from 15 to 40feet, an injector nozzle or scoop 11, preferably made of bronze or someother suitable substance which will not be subject to corrosion in saltwater, a pipe 12, preferably of plastic material, and a control element13, which is preferably formed of bronze and has two outlet paths, onethrough passage 15 into the tank 10 near the bottom and the otherthrough bypass 16 which leads upwardly through pipe 18 and is connectedto discharge into the tank It) near the top.

The control element 13, as clearly shown in FIG. 2, has check valve 2%attached to a shaft 21 and adapted to swing downwardly to close on aseat 22, as shown in dotted lines in the figure, or to swing upwardly toan open position, shown in full lines in the figure, so that waterinjected through the scoop 11 and pipe 12 enters the tank it near thebottom through passage 15. When the check valve 24 is closed, as bywater head pressure in the tank, back flow of water from the tank 10through passage 15 is prevented, and if water is still being injectedthrough pipe 12, it will flow through the by-pass passage 16, pipe 18and into the tank 10 near the top through connection 25.

A lever arm 28 is attached to the shaft 21 within the cockpit of theboat outside the control element 13. The lever arm, when in the positionshown in full lines in FIG. 2, locks the valve in its fully openposition. When the lever arm is moved to the dotted position in thefigure, however, the valve 20 is free to pivot between its open andclosed positions. In this latter position of the lever arm, the valvefat is normally closed, the weight of the valve retaining it against itsseat 22. However, when the scoop 11 injects water into the pipe 12, thepressure of the injection opens the valve and permits the water to flowinto the tank 10 until the water volume increases to a point where itshead pressure equals the pressure of injection. At this point, the checkvalve 20 will automatically close, and the water, if continued to beinjected, will flow through the by-pass passage 16 and pipe 18 into thetank It until the tank is fully charged. Therefore, to drain the tank,the check valve is opened by movement of the lever 28 to the positionshown in full lines in FIG. 2.

The scoop 11 is preferably somewhat bell-shaped at its outer end, asshown at 30, and its inner end extends through a hole 31 in stern 32 ofthe boat and is mounted to swivel in response to a control lever 34. Abushing 35 is fitted into hole 31 and constitutes a bearing in which thescoop 11 is mounted. The scoop has an inner extension 33 which isconnected to the end of the pipe 12 by a watertight slip joint, and saidextension 33 has a control lever 34 attached. The scoop with its innerextension is so mounted in the bushing 35 as to swing readily inresponse to control lever 34 while constituting a watertight jointadequate to prevent any leakage into the boat.

The control of the scoop and its actuating lever will be clearlyunderstood by reference to FIG. 3, which shows in full lines the scoop11 in substantially horizontal posi tion above the water line. The leverarm 34 is in a corre sponding position at the left in FIG. 3, but may beswung to position 34a corresponding to position Ila of the scoop, bothof these parts being shown in broken lines and clearly indicating thatthe intake end of the scoop 3%) is below the water line in the latterposition and above the Water line in the first position. If desired, thelever arm 34 may be actuated to move the scoop H to a position libhalfway below the water line. In this position of the scoop, the rate atwhich water enters into the tank It is relatively slow, which permitsclose control of the water admitted to the tank.

A. cable is attached at one end to lever 34 and is guided over sheaves41, 42, 43 and it and is attached to lever 28 of the control valve atits opposite end as illus trated in FIG. 4. A second cable 45 isattached to lever 34 and is guided over sheaves :6 and 47, is woundaround control drum 48 with its opposite end extending over sheave 49and attached to control lever 28 of the check valve which forms a partof the control element 13. The control drum is conveniently located nearthe steering wheel of the boat and the engine throttle so that theoperator may, without changing position in the boat, control the engineand also control the position of the scoop by a suitable lost motionconnection to the lever 28. There is thus an interlocking associationbetween the position of the scoop and the manual opening and closing ofthe check valve 20.

The drum 48 has a hand crank 48a subject to the control of the operator.By turning the drum in a clockwise direction, the check valve 20 whenclosed is opened and the scoop ill moved to its substantiallyhorizontal, outof-water position. Under these conditions the tank 10 isquickly drained by outflow of water exhausting through scoop 11.

Assuming that the boat is started and accelerating forward in the waterand the Water becomes rough, the operator may then manipulate the handcrank 48a to turn the drum 4% in a counterclockwise direction, therebyreleasing the check valve 26 to function automatically and swing thescoop injector down into the submerged position 11a of FIG. 3.

Tank 10 is provided with a vent and overflow drain pipe 40 at the top,and this is preferably a rubber or plastic tubing which by its extendedlength may discharge any excess of water charge over the side of theboat.

Referring to FIG. 5, the boat here shown for the purpose of illustrationcomprises a hull 50, a spray wind shield 51, and a motor 52 with itspropeller 53. When the boat is at rest, it has a shallow draft andthroughout the entire length of the hull extends below the Water levelto an almost uniform depth. Usually, however, on account of the weightof the motor, the stern of the boat will lie somewhat deeper.

If the boat is driven at reduced speed in calm water, the stabilizingapparatus of my invention may remain neutral, the scoop injector beingpositioned substantially horizontally above the water line.

If, however, the boat is operated at high speed by gunning the engine,the power thrust of the engine propeller of the boat will cause the bowto lift and ride substantially as shown in full lines in FIG. 6, with amajor portion of the boat hull out of water and the stern dipping to alower level below the water line. During such maneuver, however, the bowmay be lowered as desired, for example,

to the position shown dotted in FIG. 6, for better balance and smootherriding by lowering the scoop into the water to charge the tank with alimited volume weight of water. Then, when the scoop is raised out ofwater, the check valve 2% will close and retain this particular chargein the tank. In this regard, a loop link 55, as shown in FIG. 4, permitssuificient lost motion in the movement of the valve 20 (FIG. 2) toenable the scoop 11 to be positioned above the water while permittingthe valve 2% to continue to pivot and not looking the valve in its openposition. Hence the pressure head weight of the water in the tank 19 issufiicient to retain the valve 2% shut unless and until the operatormoves he hand crank 43:: to its fully clockwise position, thus openingthe valve 2% and thereby draining the tank.

If the boat as shown in FIG. 6 is driven at high speed through roughwater and due head on into water waves, the how will swing up and downand produce a very severe pounding shock action, which is mostuncomfortable for any passenger or crew in the boat, and in mostinstances necessitates curtailing the speed in order to lessen theshock. This is corrected by the further use of the stabilizer of myinvention by swinging the scoop into its lower submerged position 110,as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, whereby Water will forcibly enter into themouth of the scoop, flow through the pipe 12 and quickly fill the tankIii with water until the weight near the bow is sufiicient tosubstantially stabilize the boat and bring it substantially into theposiion shown in FIG. 7.

By reason of the fact that the tank It? is formed of plastic material,the weight of the water when the tank is filled will press the sidewalls of the tank into the spaces between the ribs of the boat in amanner as shown in 1G. 4 and thus insure that it is held firmly inposition when the boat is in operation. Also because of the flexibilityof the plastic walls of the tank, a tank of a given size is adapted forboats which differ considerably in shape and size, and hence the numberof different sizes of stabilizers necessarily carried in stock by theboat yards or manufacturers may be substantially reduced.

When the boat is stabilized, as shown in FIG. 7, it may be driven athigh speed in rough water with the usual bounding efiect largelyeliminated, to the comfort of the passengers and crew.

On many occasions, the operator may wish to drive the boat at moderatespeed with the scoop in a substantially horizontal or drain position,and yet it may be desirable to keep the tank 1-0 filled. This isaccomplished through the use of the loop link 55, described above, whichpermits enough lost motion in the movement of valve 26 to enable thepressure head weight of the water in the tank It) to keep the valve 20shut until the operator moves the hand crank 48a to its full clockwiseposition, opening the valve and draining the tank.

Although the tank It is primarily employed for stabilization by takingon water as needed, it has the additional advantage of providing an airdisplacement, when empty, to provide buoyancy which is sufficient inmany cases to prevent the boat from sinking should its hull bepunctured, as by accident.

While I have shown and described an embodiment of this invention bestknown to me at this time, it will be obvious to those skilled in thisart that variations and modifications may be made without departing fromthe spirit of the invention, and only such limitations should be imposedas are indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

I. A stabilizer for boats comprising a tank adapted to be located in thebow, a pipe connection thereto and extended to a gooseneck-shaped scoopmounted in the stern and adapted to swivel into position below the waterline to take in water as the boat moves forward and inject it into thebow tank, and to swivel out of the water to a position to drain waterfrom the bow tank.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which a two-way connection is providedfrom the pipe, one to the tank near the bottom and the other to the tanknear the top.

3. A stabilizer for boats comprising a tank adapted to be located in thebow, a gooseneck-shaped scoop mounted in the stern and adapted to swivelinto position below the water line to take in water as the boat movesforward and inject it into the bow tank, a two-way connection from thepipe, one to the tank near the bottom and the other to the tank near thetop, a check valve biased to automatically occupy a closed positionafter the water has been injected into the tank through the bottomconduit, and a top vent with a flexible hose outlet leading over theside to take off overflow from the tank when the scoop is acting toforce water into the tank when full.

4. The structure of claim 3 having a hand operating means for openingthe check valve to drain the tank as desired.

5. The structure of claim 3 in which means for opening the check valveis coupled with the scoop injector whereby the check valve may be openedwhen the scoop injector is adjusted out of operation.

6. In a speedboat having a heavy engine at the rear, a rudder andthrottle control near the how, a stabilizer comprising a water tankshaped to fit the bow of the boat, an injector swivel mounted at thestern of the boat and connected to said tank, means for adjusting theposition of the injector to take in water when the boat moves forward orto adjust it above the water level, whereby the tank in the bow may befilled to the desired extent with water to stabilize the boat or todrain the tank when the stabilization is unnecessary.

7. In a motorboat adapted to operate at relatively high speeds, a tankmounted forward in the bow, a check-valve having a two-way connectionincluding an upwardly directed by-pass pipe connection to the tank atits bottom and top, the two-way connection being joined with a main pipeextending to and through the stern of the boat and terminated inconnection with an actuatable water intake injector and exhaust, meansfor actuating said injector to charge water into the bow tank duringboat operation in rough water, whereby the weight producing effects ofthe water charge substantially counter-balances the otherwise up anddown pounding action of the boat bow when riding over rough and choppywater waves.

8. The structure of claim 7 wherein the check-valve is biased toautomatically close when the water-head pressure in the tank is balancedby the pressure of the water injection, said check-valve by-passaffording means to further charge the tank with water for increase ofweight 50 the closed check-valve for tank drainage of its water chargeis coupled for control with the injector, whereby its adjusted waterexhaust position is coordinated with the opening position of thecheck-valve.

5 It). The structure of claim 7 in which the tank is molded of flexibleplastic material shaped in contour for snug fitting into the bow spacedshape of the boat, whereby upon being charged with water its contouredside walls are flexibly expanded against the inner ribs or walls of theboat bow for stability.

11. Apparatus means for stabilizing motorboats when propelled over roughwater, which comprises a water receiving tank formed of plastic materialand mounted forward in the bow of the boat, said tank having a waterintake and outlet defining tubular connections, one directed into thebottom thereof having an interposed actuatable check-valve adapted foropening and closing, and a second one directed into the top of the tankthereby by-passing the bottom connection, said connections being joinedwith a water conveying conduit extended therefrom to and through thestern end of the boat and terminated by connection with actuatablevalvular means adapted for charging said tank with water for weightproducing effects when desired and thereby stabilizing the boat whenpropelled over and through rough water waves, whereby bow lift anddropping shock pounding on the hull of the boat is substantiallycounter-balanced by the Water weight effects of the charged tank.

12. In a motorboat powered for high speeds, an accessory device adaptedfor installation in said boat for purposed of stabilizing its operationover rough water waves, said device comprising a flexible plastic tankadapted in contour to fit snugly forward into the bow of the boat andhaving pipe connections wtih an actuatable water intake injector andexhaust adjacent the stern, means for actuating said injector to chargewater into the bow tank during boat operation in rough water, wherebythe weight producing effects of said charge substantially counterbalancethe otherwise uncontrolled up and down pounding action of the boat hullwhen riding over the rough water waves, and further means for emptyingsaid tank of its water content by gravity when the propelled boatapproaches calm water.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,709,219 8/92Hille 11439 X 2,672,114 3/54 McCartney 115-5 X FOREIGN PATENTS 451,9958/36 Great Britain.

FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Primary Examiner.

1. A STABILIZER FOR BOATS COMPRISING A TANK ADAPTED TO BE LOCATED IN THEBOW, A PIPE CONNECTION THERETO AND EXTENDED TO A GOOSENECK-SHAPED SCOOPMOUNTED IN THE STERN AND ADAPTED TO SWIVEL INTO POSITION BELOW THE WATERLINE TO TAKE IN WATER AS THE BOAT MOVES FORWARD AND INJECT IT INTO THEBOW TANK, AND TO SWIVEL OUT OF THE WATER TO A POSITION TO DRAIN WATERFROM THE BOW TANK.